What will spill out of you?

 What Will Spill out of You?

 

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

PSALM 28.7

 

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ.

PHILIPPIANS 1.11

 

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

EPHESIANS 5.18

 

Have you ever drunk out of a polystyrene cup? If so, you know you have to be careful, because if you accidentally poke a hole in it, the liquid inside will come spewing out.

Our lives are a little bit like that cup. When problems poke a hole in our plans or when we feel pressured by our circumstances, whatever is inside of us comes spilling out. We can’t help it. It just comes out. Sometimes it’s words of frustration, and sometimes it is words of concern about someone else. So we have to ask ourselves, What comes spilling out when I’m frustrated, made fun of, inconvenienced, or hurt? Is my natural response to be angry or defensive? Or am I finding that I can respond with joy, selflessness, patience, and kindness?

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit actually comes to live inside us when we become believers. As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and control us, he will be what spills out of our lives. When we submit to the Holy Spirit, he changes our attitudes, alters our perspectives, and orders our steps. Then, when our lives are bumped by hard times, what comes spilling out is the work of the Holy Spirit on our attitudes and character. We find ourselves responding in kindness to those who are unkind to us, in compassion to those who are in need, and in gentleness to those who treat us harshly. And those are all good things to see spilling out of a person’s life, don’t you think?